Cissus Quadrangularis

Cissus quadrangularis · Veldt grape · Hadjod

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Fracture healing¹ Bone pain¹ Bone turnover in osteopenia² Exercise-related joint pain³ Weight, combination products¹ Metabolic syndrome markers¹	Pregnancy or nursing⁴ Under age 18⁵ Within two weeks of surgery⁴

Cissus quadrangularis (veldt grape, hadjod) is a succulent vine whose stem extracts and powders have long been used to promote bone and tissue healing, as an analgesic, and for weight management⁶. Oral use is associated with slower bone remodeling in postmenopausal women with osteopenia². People take it after fractures, for exercise-related joint pain³, and, mostly in combination products, for weight and metabolic markers.

A meta-analysis found benefit for bone fractures and bone pain, while weight, lipid, and glucose benefits came only from combination products¹. A review of herbal weight-loss trials found cissus results came from few, poor-quality studies and judged the evidence insufficient to recommend any herb⁷. In human bone cells, a 2020 laboratory study found a rutin- and quercetin-enriched fraction raised bone-formation markers and lowered a bone-resorption signal; no trial has tested it in people. Many products listing cissus quadrangularis are sold, mostly as capsules and powders; see Form comparison.

Health Canada labels ask people with diabetes to consult a health care practitioner before use⁵ and to stop and consult if hypoglycemia symptoms occur⁵..

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

43 sources, 27 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources